How to Brew Kombucha

Co-authored by John Burson

Last Updated: January 30, 2023

Kombucha is a fermented tea drink that is widely popular for its probiotic health benefits. While you may have had kombucha at a specialty tea shop or grocery store, it’s also perfectly safe to make at home, as long as you take the necessary precautions. All you need is a SCOBY (symbiotic culture of bacteria and yeast), black tea, sugar, a starter liquid, and a little patience!

Ingredients

3.5 US quarts (3.3 L) of filtered water
8 bags of black tea
1 cup (200 grams) of sugar
SCOBY kept in starter liquid

Part 1

Part 1 of 2:

Making the Tea

1
Bring 3.5 US quarts (3.3 L) of filtered water to a boil in a tea kettle. Pour the water into the kettle, then place the kettle over heat to boil the water. Use filtered water to ensure there’s no chlorine in it, since chlorine can harm the bacteria you need to ferment your tea later on.^{[1]
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- If your water isn’t filtered, the minerals in the water may also affect the flavor of your kombucha.
- This is the amount of water you should use for making kombucha in a 1 gallon (3.8 L) glass jar.
2
Remove the water from heat, then steep your tea bags in it for 5 minutes. Take the kettle off of heat first, since you don’t need the water to be boiling in order to steep the tea bags. After 5 minutes, take out the tea bags and set them aside.^{[2]
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- Avoid over-steeping the tea, since this can result in your kombucha being overly bitter.
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3
Pour 1 cup (200 grams) of sugar into the tea and stir it until it dissolves. Use a wooden spoon to stir in the sugar as you pour it into the tea. If you’re wary of making your kombucha too sweet, try only adding ½ cup (100 grams) of sugar to the tea.^{[3]
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- It shouldn’t take more than a few minutes for the sugar to completely dissolve in the tea.
4
Let the tea cool to room temperature, then pour it into the glass jar. It will probably take a few hours for the tea to completely cool down. The SCOBY is sensitive to high temperatures, so it’s very important that you wait until the tea has cooled before moving on to the next step.^{[4]
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- You can speed up the cooling process by placing your kettle in an ice bath for around 30 minutes.
- Make sure the tea is at most 85 °F (29 °C) before adding the SCOBY. If the side of the kettle feels hot to the touch, use a thermometer to check the temperature and make sure it's below 85 °F (29 °C).

Part 2

Part 2 of 2:

Adding the SCOBY and Fermenting the Tea

1
Use clean hands to add the SCOBY to the glass jar. Wash your hands with soap and water before handling the SCOBY to make sure they’re clean. Remove the SCOBY from the starter liquid that it came in and lay it on top of the tea in your glass jar.^{[5]
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- Don’t worry about what the SCOBY does when it’s in the tea; it’s perfectly normal for it to float, sink, or even go sideways.
2
Pour the starter liquid into the jar and cover it with a tight weave cloth. Add enough starter liquid to the tea so that your jar is full almost up to the top. Then, lay the cloth over the jar and use a rubber band to secure it around the lid.^{[6]
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- A tight weave cloth will have strands of fabric in close proximity to each other and will keep bugs out of your brew while allowing air to circulate. Cheese cloth is the best cloth to use for brewing kombucha, although coffee filters will also work.
- Make sure whatever cloth you use is breathable. Your tea needs some exposure to air in order to brew properly.
3
Place the jar in a room-temperature spot out of direct sunlight to brew. Keep the jar away from vents or other sources of fluctuating temperatures. Place it somewhere where it’s guaranteed to stay at a temperature of around 75 to 84 °F (24 to 29 °C) for up to 2 weeks. Leave the tea to brew for 7-14 days.^{[7]
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- Avoid putting your jar in a closet or cupboard, as it needs good airflow in order to brew.
4
Taste your tea after 7 days to see if it’s ready to be consumed. Carefully sip the tea with a straw in order to taste it. If the taste of the kombucha is to your liking, remove the jar from the fermenting spot. If it needs more time to ferment, put it back and test it again after a few days.^{[8]
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- The longer kombucha ferments, the less sweet and tangier it will taste.
5
Set aside the SCOBY if you want to use it again. Take the SCOBY out of your glass jar and put it in its own separate jar. Pour some kombucha in the jar with it in order to keep it alive.^{[9]
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- You can also use a store-bought “SCOBY Hotel” to store your leftover SCOBY after you’re done brewing kombucha.
6
Bottle your kombucha and store it in the refrigerator. Use a funnel to pour the kombucha from the glass jar into smaller glass bottles. Add flavoring to each bottle before pouring in the kombucha to make flavored kombucha.^{[10]
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- Your kombucha will never “go bad” in the refrigerator. However, it may eventually become too sour to drink. How long this takes varies between different brews.
- Some things you can add to your kombucha to flavor it include fresh fruit, fruit juice, fruit syrups, and herbs.

Community Q&A

Question

Does a scoby in storage need access to air, or can I seal it in a container before refrigerating?

Community Answer

A scoby does need oxygen in order to complete the fermentation process. There should be circulating air if you want your scoby to turn out perfect.

Things You’ll Need

A tea kettle
A 1 gallon (3.8 L) glass jar
Tight weave cloth
Rubber band
Straw
Funnel

Warnings

Use glass containers instead of metal or plastic ones. Metal can have an adverse reaction with the acidic kombucha, while plastic may absorb the bacteria.

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